A Simple Shelf We Made For Spring

A few weeks ago, Bobby and I were looking to buy some sort of bench or shelf to place underneath a window in our apartment. We wanted a little plant shelf, to introduce color and greens into our space (because it was completely devoid of both). While at CB2, we happened upon an old looking bench that was nearly $300. It was a nice bench, yes, but $300?? Are you serious?? I could get something for a fifth of the price if I hunted around thrift stores for a day or if I just built it myself. So, I built a shelf myself. And, you should too.

With a lengthy, impromptu stay at Home Depot and an hour or two of planning, sanding, painting, and planting, I refined the wood, painted it, and hung it while Bobby planted and readied plants. Within the span of about three, maybe four, hours and one hundred dollars from our pockets, we had this floating slate grey shelf that was just as good–if not better–than that expensive CB2 creation. It was quite simple to make too because all it is is a piece of wood I painted and sanded screwed into a wall by way of support from three brackets you don’t even notice. It was absurdly easy and so cheap: the wood, brackets, sandpaper, and paint only cost about twenty dollars! The plants and pots were the expensive part. (Yes, we spent $70 on plants and pots. It was an investment!)

If you have a free afternoon this weekend and want to change up your space for Spring, this is a simple and elegant solution. For more details on the specs of the shelf and more photos of it, check out Los Angeles, I’m Yours. Hopefully we’ll all start building our own shelves and objects and make it so silly homeware stores recognize that their prices are a *little* absurd–and that we can do what they do ourselves.

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WRITTEN BY

KYLE FITZPATRICK

Kyle Fitzpatrick is a homosexual former military brat who decided to settle in heaven (a.k.a, Los Angeles). With a love for horror films, champagne, short shorts, and CAPS LOCK, he works as a writer, comedian, and actor.

2 Comments →A Simple Shelf We Made For Spring

Case Duckworth March 23, 2012 at 3:14 PM

This – the idea behind dyi and building a shelf, and the planting thing too – makes me think of the Wendell Berry essay, “Think Little.” He basically talks about how change on a social scale starts at home, doing little, weird, quirky things that assert our individuality – for example, building a shelf for a sixth of the cost of buying one.